Dallas District Attorney On Local Mortgage Fraud: “The Criminals Are Running The Show”

Texas television station KDFW Channel 4 in Dallas-Fort Worth reports:

• "[D]allas County District Attorney, Craig Watkins says he has not yet prosecuted a mortgage fraud case in his six months in office. Watkins says his office has received more than 600 mortgage fraud cases it is currently investigating but he has no prosecutors able to handle them. Watkins says he also needs more funding approved by County Commissioners to fight the problem. “We don’t have the prosecutors that can go forth and prosecute these cases because we don’t have the resources,” Watkins told Fox 4."

• "But in neighboring Collin County, there is a much different story. Assistant District Attorney, Chris Milner says the problem ‘has to be taken over by local DA’s offices.’ “There has been a landslide of reported cases and we are running as fast as we can to prosecute them,” Milner told Fox 4. Milner says Collin County has prosecuted more than a dozen people in recent mortgage fraud cases and ordered them to pay thousands in restitution. Milner wants to send a message."

• “If you want to perpetuate mortgage fraud, don’t do it in Collin County,” said Milner. Fox 4 asked Dallas County DA Craig Watkins what message his office is sending by not prosecuting mortgage fraud cases. Watkins replied, “…the criminals are running the show.”"

According to the Fox4 story, the local FBI office isn't doing too much either. Because of the mortgage fraud which was followed by subsequent foreclosures, residents have watched their neighborhood go downhill, while seeing their tax appraisals skyrocket.

For more, see New Station Investigation: Mortgage Fraud Presents Challenge for Dallas D.A.